Pure Imagination

    This evening we attended a production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical. It was an incredibly fun show, though not quite the best that we have seen. It was such a spectacle and the sets were absolutely brilliant. It was a fun way to experience the stories of Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka. Before the show a few of us went to the local stores and bought an assortment of candy that we snuck into the show. If you are going to watch a play about a chocolate factory, you need to come prepared. I was unable to find any Wonka candies, but I bought a Cadbury chocolate bar with candy jelly and pop rocks inside. It seemed very Wonka-esque. The play had almost entirely new music, not really taking anything from the two different movies. It was an interesting new interpretation that put an emphasis on the dancing and music. It was really fun and I had a smile the whole time. The best moment of the show was the second to last song when Wonka invited Charlie into the glass elevator and began singing "Pure Imagination" from the original film. It was the only song from the original, and it was great. The actor we saw didn't have the best voice, but the song is still so incredibly touching. I felt so emotional as we watched the characters float across the stage and the backdrop turned to nighttime in London. Those aren't tears. I've just got a large amount of stardust in my eyes!

                     "There is no                                                          If you want to view paradise       

                     Life I know                                                           Simply look around and view it       

                     To compare with                                                   Anything you want to, do it       
                     Pure imagination                                                   Want to change the world?       
                     Living there, you'll be free                                      There's nothing to it"       
                     If you truly wish to be

    The day was full of different adventures. We had a great class session today as we talked about our experience with Blithe Spirit. It sounds like we were all absolutely enamored with Angela Lansbury and the production as a whole. Ben also took some time to teach a part of Brett's class. It's so weird sometimes to think that Ben is technically our TA for the class. He has become quite a good friend, as has Dallin. The friends made here is one of the best parts about studying abroad!

Some views as we walk to class on a wonderful rainy morning

    I think that we are all also recovering from travel week still, because we were quite exhausted after class. Though there were no naps, we did spend quite a bit of time lying around the flats. There were papers that needed to be written so I snuck in some time to take care of those before we went out. Dallin and I decided to pay a visit to the Natural History Museum just down the road from the Hyde Park Chapel. The museum is huge, like most museums here. We walked through for a little over an hour and still only managed to see a small portion of the exhibits offered there. During our time in the land of science we learned about volcanoes, earthquakes, the creation of the earth (sans God, silly people), and how we can better preserve our natural resources. Now that I read about it, it doesn't sound very fun. It was actually quite interesting as there were many interactive exhibits like an earthquake simulator and planet cores to walk through. It's perfect if you are a kid or a college student that can't seem to grow up for the most part. 

Biohazards suites and giant planet formations to walk through! What more could you want?

 

   Following our brief scientific exploration of the world, the universe, and everyting I decided to stop by Ben's Cookies and eat a delectable double chocolate chunk cookie. Without gelato these past few days I have been a little lacking on the sugar department, so I have to make up for it in other ways. Ben's Cookies is a fantastic little store that served cookies that are incredibly moist. They are absolutely evil but I love them so! We then met up with Ben (not the Ben from Ben's cookies, though that would have been quite delightful) and went over to Leicester Square to bum around and find some food. There was a fun moment when we were about to go down into the Underground when some Sister Missionaries walked past. I smiled and waved and said, "Hello Sisters!" They looked momentarily confused but then one of them looked at my BYU shirt and said, "Hey! I like your shirt!" It was a very brief encounter as we both continued on our way, but it's always fun to see our missionaries out and about!
    For dinner decided to eat out at Chipotle. It's not the most original place to go while in London, but seeing as how we don't really have too many of those in Utah anyways, I decided to indulge myself as I am quite a fan. They serve big beautiful burritos and somehow it managed to be even more delicious in London! They are served with tin foil wrapped around it so you can easily eat it by hand, so it's not quite like Costa Vida or Cafe Rio or the like. Even Ben gave it his approval so I knew it must be good. We frequently make food discoveries but sometimes it is fun to go to the places that I know I can count on.

Super cookie

Tinfoil! Oh, and there is a burrito inside as well

     I left my pals briefly so that I could run by Forbidden Planet briefly to buy a signed copy of The Bone Season that I had seen there on our previous visit. After having read it on my Kindle I decided that I liked it quite a bit and that I would definitely need to own it. So there. Books make the best sort of souvenirs if you ask me. I've actually been pretty good so far this trip as I have only bought two books thus far. The last time I was here I came home with eight or nine new books, all but one being hardcover... We'll see if I manage to hold out for the next two weeks. I was not seperated from my pals for too long as we met up at Covent Garden to get some treats and prepare for the show!

Love some of the shops to be seen at Covent Garden

It looked close enough to a Wonka bar for me! We'll just pretend that it is a 

Wonka Scrumdiddlyumptious Chocolate Delight. 

Borrowed this image from the official website to show part of the elaborate sets

(This one as well)

    I may say this a lot in this blog, but I am so grateful for the experiences that I have been having here. I feel that London continues to inspire me in so many ways. I've struggled over the past few years with deciding with what I want to do with my life. I keep coming back to English despite not knowing what career path that will lead me down. I love reading and learning about literature and I still hope someday to write a novel or book of my own. I frequently find myself lost in my own world of imagination, and I'd like to think that maybe someone would like to see some of the things that I see. As I visit more places and learn new things the world inside my mind expands and I realize the beauty that exists in so many things! "If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it." I sure plan to.